Balsamic strawberry spoon cake with poppy seeds

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So I had a smashing time at the Kenton farmer’s market on Friday! The berries were especially lovely, and by buying in bulk I got a screaming deal on some strawberries. We ate most of them au natural but I had about a pint left yesterday and whipped up this lil’ cake, which conveintly coincided with Food52’s Your best berry recipe contest (Update it was chosen as a community pick!). The balsamic packs a nice tang and makes little pockets of syrupy loveliness that balances out the sweet cake, and right at the end a bit of crunch from the poppy seeds! I am not a great baker, but this recipe hybrid I created is fool-proof and delicious. I like no nonsense rustic stuff, if you are looking for hotsie totsie…..go elsewhere, if you want something easy that will highlight the best of the season then read on!
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You will need:
For Balsamic macerated berries
1 pint Strawberries, top removed and halved.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 pinch gray sea salt
For cake
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup AP flour
3/4 cups milk
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon gray sea salt
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Method:
Place berries in a bowl with salt, vinegar, and honey. Let macerate for 30 minutes. While berries macerate, pre-heat oven to 350. Place butter, cut into small chunks into a 9 inch pie tin. Place in oven and let butter melt and get a bit brown. Combine all other cake ingredients and stir well, mixture should be mostly lump free but this should all be done by hand, no need for a mixer. About forty good stirs. When butter has melted and turned golden, pour cake batter in (do not stir), spoon berries and juices over batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or whip, but I personally just like a light dusting of confectioners sugar. Strawberry shortcake is sooo OVER! Haha not really but when your berries are no longer at their peak of perfection this is a good way to go. Feel free to use different berries and let me know how it turns out!